General practitioners and health centres

Finding a GP

Finding a general practitioner (huisarts, GP or family doctor) should be a priority when you are settling down in your new city. Your GP is your link to the medical system, as they will be able to prescribe medicines and refer you to any specialist.

Student GP

The Hague has a special student GP: StudentDoc. They have two locations in the city centre, and are open to all students from all universities. If you want to register immediately at the StudentDoc, please use this form. You will need to register with your personal details and citizen service number (BSN).

If you do not want to register at the StudentDoc, you can approach any other GP within the postal area code of your home. You can find a list of alternative GP's here: online overview of general practitioners.

GP: your starting point for health care

The general practitioner is almost always the first person to consult when facing health problems – they see a range of patients, from babies to pregnant women, adults and the elderly. The GP is familiar with a range of symptoms such as skin conditions, gynaecological problems, infections, psychological problems, airway problems, or problems with the heart, as well as headaches, stomach-aches and sexual complaints.

General practitioners can perform a number of tests themselves and can request a wide range of other tests, such as STD tests, pap smears, blood work, ECGs and X-rays. In the majority of cases the GP will treat the complaint directly, either by giving advice or prescribing medication. The GP also does minor surgery, such as treating wounds or doing sutures, and the placement of Intrauterine Devices (IUDs).

If the GP is not able to do the diagnoses or treatment, you will be referred to a specialist in the hospital.

You can collect prescriptive medicine at the pharmacy (apotheek). If you have medical insurance you can often claim back expenses.